South Sudan

PRAYER POINTS

VIDEO

• Pray for long-term peace and lasting stability to prevail in this fragile, new nation.

• Pray for churches to remain united as they model peace and reconciliation to a watching world.

• Pray for the people to reject ethnic hatred, embrace the gospel, and demonstrate love and forgiveness.

SUMMARY

The newest nation in Africa, South Sudan was, up until 2011, a part of Sudan, which was Africa's largest nation and the ninth largest in the world. During the 1956 Sudanese independence the south unsuccessfully tried to form its own nation. Religious and political division led to two civil wars, in 1972 and 1983, which caused 2.5 million deaths, mainly civilians, due to starvation, drought, and violence. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement ended many tensions between the north and the south, and in 2011, with a 98% vote, the south seceded from Sudan. While conflict still exists, South Sudan became a sovereign nation on July 9, 2011.

South Sudan is an extremely underdeveloped nation. The formerly unified Sudan was wracked with war and has been described as the world's least stable nation. South Sudan is one of the richest agricultural areas in the White Nile Valley, and agriculture provides a living for the majority of the population. South Sudan is also rich with oil, which accounts for 98% of the government budget. This continues to cause conflict between the north and the south, and the two nations have agreed to split oil revenues. The South Sudanese peoples are known for their tall height, boldness, patriotism, and work ethic. Marriage and childbearing are very important in South Sudanese culture.

Most of the South Sudanese population is animist or Christian. Western missionaries evangelized the South Sudanese in the 1800's, and many nationals converted to Christianity, causing conflict with their northern Islamic, Arabized neighbors. Despite decades of extreme persecution, the Sudanese Christians are still standing strong and maturing in their faith. The Church has continued to grow over the years. Pray that they will continue to be strong amidst their suffering and temptations of tribalism and idols.